The invention relates generally to a railroad rail and tie covering system including a method and apparatus for installation of direct fixation track, and more specifically to a manner of masking portions of a railroad assembly for concrete installation.
Railroad tracks typically comprise rails, tie plates, rail to rail connections, rail to tie plate connections, timber ties or pre-stressed concrete ties, ballast, and an underlying subgrade. Typically, flat-bottom steel rails are welded together and supported on timber ties or pre-stressed concrete ties and laid on crushed stone ballast. The railroad rail is typically held to the tie or plate with spikes or other fasteners or connectors. Rails are restrained by tie plates, and attached to the ties to spread the load of the locomotive and rail cars traveling across them.
A specialized installation type of railroad track is direct fixation track. In these installations, the rails, plates, and timber ties are supported and surrounded by a concrete slab. These direct fixation plates have many different configurations depending on the loads carried, the frequency of traffic, the type of rail, rail to plate fasteners, noise and vibration requirements and operating railroad preferences.
A second type of direct fixation track is to support the rail and tie plate directly on a concrete slab, plinth or curb structure without the use of a tie. The tie plate, normally attached to a timber or concrete tie is instead attached directly to the concrete slab or plinth. These direct fixation plates have many different configurations depending on the loads carried, the frequency of traffic, the type of rail, rail to plate fasteners, noise and vibration requirements and operating railroad preferences. Generally, these fastener plates are attached to the concrete through the use of embedded metal studs which are bolted to the concrete.
In another application, the fastener assembly is a separate concrete mono-block tie unit which is attached to the rails and then encased in additional support concrete. The design of these mono-block tie units are also driven by the loads carried, the frequency of traffic, the type of rail, rail to plate fasteners, noise and vibration requirements and operating railroad preferences.
In all direct fixation trackwork, the rails, tie (mono-block or timber) plates, rail to rail connections, rail to tie plate connections, timber or pre-stressed concrete ties, or separate concrete tie units are supported by other means prior to concrete operations.
What is needed is a method or apparatus for installing or trackwork, particularly direct fixation track that minimizes disruption to railroad operations. While some units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.